If I lend out my car to someone that is not covered on my insurance and that person gets into an accident will my policy cover

Tender the claim to your insurer for defense. If there's a policy exclusion, they'll quote you chapter and verse. If there isn't an exclusion, and he was a permissive user, they'll defend the claim.

Think of it this way: Let the insurance company tell you "no." They can't defend the claim if you don't tell them about it. If you do, they still might not defend it, but then again, they might.

It's all going to turn on the language of the policy. If you have a copy of the policy, read it. It's supposed to be in language plain enough for you to understand. Ambiguities are construed against the insurance company typically, so they try to make it clear.

Good luck. What I write here isn't legal advice as I don't hold Illinois licensure. It's simply my analysis of the facts you present based on general principles of law, which I give for educational purposes. If you need legal advice, please consult a lawyer who holds Illinois licensure.

Almost all automobile liability insurance policies provide liability coverage to anyone driving your car with your permission. I suggest that you read your insurance policy, the definitions page, and see how your company defines "insured". Generally the definition will include those people who operate your vehicle with your permission.

You should report this incident to your automobile liability insurance carrier, as you have a duty to notify them and cooperate with their investigation of the matter.You are not under an obligation to volunteer if you knew or did not know that your cousin did not have a drivers license at the time you loaned the car to him.Even if you did know, I do not think this would disqualify him from coverage.If coverage is denied, you should have an attorney review your policy language for you.

Legal Disclaimer:

Mr. Lundeen is licensed to practice law in Florida and Vermont. The response herein is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/client relationship. The response is in the form of legal education and is intended to provide general information about the matter within the question. Oftentimes the question does not include significant and important facts and timelines that, if known, could significantly change the reply and make it unsuitable. Mr. Lundeen strongly advises the questioner to confer with an attorney in your state in order to insure proper advice is received.


Legal Disclaimer:

Mr. Lundeen is licensed to practice law in Florida and Vermont. The response herein is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/client relationship. The response is in the form of legal education and is intended to provide general information about the matter within the question. Oftentimes the question does not include significant and important facts and timelines that, if known, could significantly change the reply and make it unsuitable. Mr. Lundeen strongly advises the questioner to confer with an attorney in your state in order to insure proper advice is received.

The answer depends upon what your specific policy says and also whether your carrier accepts your story that you lent the car to your cousin. Much would undoubtedly go to whether you knew the cousin was unlicensed and whether this voids the policy or coverage.

I suggest you contact an attorney but first tender the claim to your insurance company.